EFFECT OF BLUE LIGHT ON HYPERBILIRUBINAEMIA

Journal/Book: Reprinted from Archives of Disease in Childhood Vol. 40 No. 214 December 1965. 1965;

Abstract: From St. John's Hospital Chelmsford; the Department of Medicine Royal Free Hospital London; and the Department of Chemical Pathology University of Leeds (RECEIVED FOR PUBLICATION MARCH 25 1965) Summary A group of 11 infants with ´physiological' jaundice chosen by random selection have been treated by irradiation with an artificial blue light. The serum bilirubin concentration of the treated infants fell by an average of 2 · 9 mg./ 100 ml. during treatment and this was significantly greater than the change in bilirubin level in a similar untreated group of infants. Jaundiced Gunn rats were exposed to a similar light source for 10 days and their plasma bilirubin concentrations fell significantly when compared with an untreated control group of rats. Bilirubin in the presence of serum uncouples oxidative phosphorylation of rat liver and brain mitochondria. Photodecomposition of the bilirubin destroys this uncoupling effect and the products of the reaction showed no effect an oxidative phosphorylation. These results show that treatment of a jaundiced subject with blue light can reduce the Serum bilirubin level and that there is no evidence that the products of light treatment are toxic. schö

Zurück | Weiter